Senderos puts Arsenal on the way to five-point advantage

Arsenal are five points clear after grinding out this hard-fought victory and are guaranteed to be there until March 1 at the very minimum after goals from Philippe Senderos and Emmanuel Adebayor separated the sides.

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If they hang in there, they will beam the images around the world, from Beijing to Bangkok, Tokyo to Timbuktu, but the real celebrations will take place in North London.

Can they handle it? Yes, they can. They have already seen off the threat of Liverpool. Chelsea have been left eight points behind. Surely only Manchester United now stand between Wenger and this club's 14th league title — which would be their first title since the Invincibles were crowned in 2004.

For Freddie Ljungberg, think Alexander Hleb. For Sol Campbell think William Gallas. For Thierry Henry think Emmanuel Adebayor.

Arsenal will not go the season unbeaten — their defeat at Middlesbrough back in December put an end to that prospect — but there are striking similarities with the class of 2004.

At times, they played in a way that Arsenal's supporters have become accustomed, with precision and bewildering technique.

But at others, they allowed Blackburn to bounce them off the ball and dictate possession, especially in two worrying spells around half-time.

They will need reminders as they begin the last leg, but Wenger is astute enough to recognise that.

His team, from nine different nationalities, have so far been waved through every checkpoint on their pursuit of a fourth Premier League title.

Beaten at Middlesbrough in December, they responded with victory over Chelsea in their next game. Second in the table after drawing at Portsmouth on Boxing Day, they were handed the passport to the Premier League summit with a thorough work-out against Everton three days later.

Barring visits to Chelsea and Manchester United over the next 12 games, the title run-in is as about as inviting as it could be for a team with their eyes on the big prize.

They have coped brilliantly with the loss of Robin van Persie and spray goals around this stadium like confetti.

Adebayor, who underpinned their victory at Manchester City with two goals last weekend, torments teams with his physical presence and his gilded touch, but there are predators all over the pitch.

Flamini, denied his fourth goal of the season by Brad Friedel's brilliance in the Blackburn goal, is one. So, too, are Gallas, Abou Diaby, Kolo Toure and Cesc Fabregas, who last night was playing in an unfamiliar role on the right. The list is long. So long, in fact, that it stretches as far as Senderos.

The Arsenal defender, substituted with an injury during Switzerland's 2-1 defeat against England, is an unlikely source of goals, but the timing of his fourth-minute header last night was perfect.

His place in the team is under threat from the return of Toure from the Africa Cup of Nations, but Senderos still has a part to play.

Arsenal's goals have been scored by 13 different players in the Premier League this season and this battering ram in the centre of their defence numbers among them.

He was given the freedom of Islington to direct Eduardo's corner into the net when Benni McCarthy allowed him a free run at goal. Big mistake. Rovers, with an injury list as long as their manager's arm, made a game of it.

David Bentley, who left Arsenal and became an England international, was Blackburn's customary threat down the right and he was supported by the overlapping runs of Brett Emerton.

That combination teamed up to provide Rovers with their best opening of the first half, but McCarthy mistimed his run.

Hughes prowled his touchline, determined to arrest the slide down the league that has seen them drop to ninth.

Rovers are still in recovery following their 4-1 defeat against Coventry in the FA Cup in January, but they can still compete for a place in the UEFA Cup. Their manager, scandalously overlooked for the Newcastle job when Sam Allardyce left St James' Park, is one of the brightest in the business.

He has players with Premier League pedigree: Friedel is one of the best keeper's in the division, Andre Ooijer is a fine defender and Bentley can bend it like Beckham.

He did just that at the start of the second half. His free kick deceived the Arsenal wall, but Jens Lehmann sprang to his left and tipped his effort around the post.

Arsenal responded. Hleb hit the base of the post and Adebayor forced Friedel to make another wonderful save but the score remained the same.

Inevitably, in added time, it was Adebayor who scored the second, turning neatly to tuck the ball home.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Lehmann 6; Sagna 5, Senderos 7, Gallas 7, Clichy 6; Fabregas 6, Flamini 7, Gilberto 6, Hleb 7; Adebayor 7, Eduardo 6. Booked: Fabregas. Scorers: Senderos 4, Adebayor 90.

BLACKBURN (4-4-2): Friedel 8; Emerton 7, Ooijer 7 (Rigters 80min), Khizanishvili 6, Warnock 6; Bentley 7, Tugay 6 (Mokoena 77), Reid 6, Berner 6, McCarthy 5 (Roberts 78); Santa Cruz 6.

Man of the Match: Brad Friedel.

Referee: Steve Bennett.

Attendance: 60,049.